The whole youtube channel there is about one system (collection of alters) sharing their (many genders for different alters) life and some information about dissociative identity disorder, formerly known as multiple personality disorder.
Some of the alters do not share memory and the personality really is radically different.
I am interested to discuss in general this disorder linking with no-self. If one associates a self to a personality or alter then the very fact that there can be split of new alters due to new trauma or merging of alters when their internal communication is nice and so on seems to disprove that thereās a self linking to the alters.
This also applies to what we would call the stream of consciousness instead of soul. At first thought, I thought could there be that many different people are reborn into one body or possession could happen, but after considering the merging happened, not just possible, but actually happened, it doesnāt gel with our notion that nibbÄna is to be gained each for themselves.
So the neuroscience explanation of different parts of the brain got dissociated would work nicely as thereās no need to limit one sense of self to one stream of consciousness, just that the stream of consciousness doesnāt itself split or merge, just radically change from one alter to another when they switch.
I would think that people with this disorder have to get fully healed first, fully merged into one personality before they can be ordained. As it is, they said that each alter can have different religion. Imagine a Buddhist monastic with DID switched and claimed that they are a Christian or Muslim, thatās not workable.
Hmmā¦ this one says even if full fusion is done, doesnāt mean no future alters would be created. So really difficult.
I think you should watch more of her/ their videos first before judging that itās not an issue. DID is a result of repeated trauma typically at childhood, before the brain can form a single personality. Thus it makes no sense to imagine a hermit kind of thing for them, they already have a lot of distrust for humans and prefer hermit life.
In one video on how they were diagnosed, they said that the main host would blackout even when wanting to call someone for help, then come back in different place and time, not knowing what happened. People would greet her with names she doesnāt recognize, etc, leading to multiple suicidal attempts. The switch itself can be fast or take hours. I imagine this would heavily impact their ability to work a normal job.
This is not DID. Itās way more serious than that.
I know, but I was trying to make reductio ad absurdum. Guess it was a weak one though.
Yeah Iām watching now, but also Iām familiar with such extreme cases from my personal life. Itās a difficult situation at the extremes.
Yeah, still a bit weird to ātrickā those people into a singular identity, then to tear it apart again. Iām still hesitant to trust such people to psychiatrists first before a spiritual setting though. Itās a delicate balancing act, no easy answer indeed.
Thereās nothing in the suttas to describe this as far as I can see. So I really think that unless the monastic has a background in psychology, or related fields and studied this, the professionals are the best for these people. PS. Actually, even if the monastic has these qualifications, itās still better to go to the professionals, we donāt become monastics to do these kind of job.
Really, looking at my OP, before I saw some of her videos, I was wondering it is possession even, which now I conclude now that it couldnāt be. And I really dunno how to help these people.
Please tread very carefully on this topic. We donāt want to give false information or speculations that might delay someone getting proper help. It is a mental health issue. Anyone dealing with DID, or supporting someone with DID, needs facts and professional help. This is particularly important for Buddhists to acknowledge and teach, as Buddhist meditation and mindfulness practices are generally contraindicated in cases of dissociation.
To reiterate the point made by JimInBC, please tread carefully in this thread. This is not a topic that should be for idle curiosity and speculation, it is debilitating for those who are experiencing it. Also, please refrain from sharing any personal experiences or details concerning cases you may have personally encountered.
Buddhist Practice is a full step to lessening suffering. Buddha was very serious about the Truth of Suffering and the Path to End Suffering, the Noble Eightfold Path. This Path is for everyone, barring no one. There is no one out there who should be turned away from Buddhism. All the while Spirituality is one aspect of life that ascertains the others, as many beings need medical help in different points in their lives, and I think Buddhist Compassion is part of the actual cure.
Just in case you misunderstood me above. I said should not ordain, I didnāt said cannot be Buddhist. These are very different things. As you might know, thereās quite a list of people who shouldnāt be ordained including disabled people, certain sickness etc.
Having learned more from the videos, I think the PTSD part of DID could indeed benefit from meditation, mindfulness etc. Hopefully, the more resilient they can handle life events, the less it becomes new traumas.
Well most importantly it starts with Buddhists having Compassion on people with these types of ailments, embettering their lives to a capacity, to get them more interested in Buddhism. Like a collaborative effort that will surely help.
The fact that basic aspects of our consciousness can be altered by manipulation or injury to the brain, certain pharmaceuticals or, as in the above case, ailments seems to me to be nothing less than empirical proof for annata.
Remeber, according to the Ven. Bodhi and supported by prominent historical scholars, annata just means that even our sense of self (or what would classically be referred to as mind, spirit or soul) is conditioned. The concept was likely introduced in opposition to Vedanta claiming an eternal soul or spirit.
Thought of it in this correct way, unusual mental phenomena and ailments do nothing but confirm the hypothesis. The fact that in this case the experience is that of two selfs instead of one is irrelevant to the findings.
To clarify my point (in case there was any confusion), it isnāt that anyone should be turned away from Buddhism. But certain Buddhist practices are contraindicated if certain mental health issues are present.
I am no expert on the matter. I think I would have to take it with a grain of salt too. Just like an English speaker in a Thai Temple may not be able to partake in all of the foreign language services, but will still be able to partake in some in part, in the same way those that have various disorders can take their time entering Buddhism, like we all do. . Sorry for the strange comparison. But weāre all different!
. Sorry for the strange comparison. But weāre all different!